Seed
by margroks
Summary: Something begins to grow in an unexpected place and Clark must stop it before it spreads.


Seed

The rights to the characters of Smallville belong to its producers, the WB Network and DC Comics. I own them not.

Martha's old horse is a character from the very fertile imagination of Paperbkryter, as is the very amusing story of Lex's encounter with it.

Clark drove toward the Luthor mansion on his way to make an early morning delivery. Part of him hoped Lex would still be asleep so he could drop off the vegetables and run. But he needed to apologize to Lex for his recent behavior while under the influence of the meteor rock Pete had slipped into his pocket and he might as well do it and accept the consequences; he just couldn't decide what to say. As he made the turn into the back driveway he saw Lex, apparently finishing up his morning run. He stopped, watching as Clark drove up.

He pulled up to the kitchen entrance and stopped, hesitating for a moment before opening the door. Lex's expression was solemn and unreadable as Clark approached. Clark stared at the ground, taking a deep breath before looking up at Lex. "I…want to apologize for the way I behaved in the barn the other day. I'm sorry. I…Pete slipped something to me while he was under the parasite's influence and…I wasn't myself. I know this isn't the first time I've had to apologize like this and I…don't remember much but I know I was inexcusably rude." Clark turned abruptly and walked quickly to the back of the truck. Unlatching the tailgate, he grabbed a crate full of vegetables.

"Clark, wait a minute." Clark stopped, looking back at him. "You _were_ extremely rude and obnoxious." Clark grimaced. "But you were right about one thing."

"What?"

"That when I hire someone, I tell them what to do, not the other way around. I told the good doctor he had to work on my terms and that you were to have access to the caves whenever you wanted. I apologize for reneging on my promise."

Clark gave him one of those small lopsided smiles that indicated delight amidst confusion. Lex walked over, extending a hand and Clark clasped it, smiling more broadly. When Lex let go, his hand came away covered with wet brown muck. "I hope that's mud."

"Sorry. The crates were out back and…you're lucky it _is_ mud." Lex looked down at Clark's feet. His shoes were also covered in something wet and brown.

"You can wash up in the butler's pantry."

Clark emerged from the little bathroom behind the kitchen looking much better: clean and dry (thanks to heat vision). Lex watched silently from the kitchen doorway as Clark made several more trips back and forth, finally putting a hand out to stop him. Clark looked up, puzzled. "Take a break, Clark. Got time for a cup of coffee?"

"Um, yeah, thanks, Lex."

"Breakfast should be ready up in the conservatory. Come on, I haven't been there in a while."

"I'd like that. I love the conservatory, especially the roses." It was a huge indoor arboretum, where the last of the flowers so lovingly cared for by Lilly Luthor still grew. A small table sat in a nook surrounded by white roses, his mother's favorites. Lex loved to sit among them when he was feeling nostalgic and contemplative. After the meal was served and coffee and juice poured, they were finally left in piece. Lex kept the conversation light, sensing Clark was not yet ready for any further discussion of recent events, if, in fact, he ever would be. Clark listened, somewhat absently as he looked around the large room at the various plants and trees when he spotted some bits of broken glass on the floor.

Lex stopped talking and followed his gaze. "What is it, Clark?"

"What's on the floor over there?" Clark got up and ducked behind a large fiddle leaf rubber tree, where a few small pieces of glass littered the floor; high above them, they could see a hole in an overhead pane.

"Wonder what caused that?"

Lex eyed the grounds outside, seeing nothing. "Maybe…kids; we're closer to the road here…"

Clark scanned the area outside and through the outer walls of the estate. "I don't see anybody…"

Beyond a huge ficus benjamina, there was a whole section of the conservatory devoted solely to orchids now blooming out in a riot of color. Lex stepped carefully into the middle of a group of exotic African varieties and leaned down, looking at something in the soil.

"What is it?"

After a moment, Lex stood up and cautiously made his way back to the stone path of the conservatory floor. He held up a small dark pod covered with spikes. "Looks like a lychee nut. The soil was disturbed and I spotted this. Not too many lychees growing around here, Clark." He scratched his head, thoughtfully. Guess the wind blew it up here. Odd…I thought the wind had died down." Many parts of Kansas had been experiencing unseasonably warm weather for several days; it had actually stormed during the night.

"Didn't seem that windy when I drove over." Clark looked up at the overhead glazing again. There were no twigs or leaves or other debris; just that one neat hole. "Weird…"

"Hmmm. Well, here you go, Clark." He tossed the nut over to him. "Little souvenir." Absently, Clark pocketed the nut and returned to the table, sipping his coffee and munching on some pastries while Lex called down to alert the staff to the damage. The conversation became lengthy and Clark was still lost in thought when Lex turned back to him. "Sorry. Something else came up." He eyed Clark's glazed expression. "You seem kinda out of it this morning."

"Yeah, I'm…tired, I guess. Listen, thanks for breakfast but I need to finish unloading." Clark stood, glancing again at the hole in the glass above. Something was niggling at the edges of his subconscious. "Um…I'll see you later…"

"I have some errands to run; maybe I'll stop by."

"Great!" He headed for the stairs, taking one last look at the broken pane and the conservatory bed beneath it on his way out.

Clark quickly unloaded the rest of Lex's order and headed back to the farm to pick up muffins and pies for the Talon. He wondered if Lana would even let him in the front door after yesterday and he sincerely hoped Chloe never remembered what they'd done in the middle of the Talon, not to mention the back seat of Pete's car. Now if only he was really lucky and no one said anything to Chloe… That made him nervous all over again; there had been witnesses and the waitress…his cheeks reddened at the memory. Why couldn't _he_ forget what he did under the influence of the red meteor rocks? Because that was his punishment.

When he returned from the Talon, his spirits buoyed somewhat because Lana was still speaking to him _and_ she had agreed to at least consider him for the opening there, he headed up to the loft for a moment's peace and quiet. Gazing out over the farm, he noticed some broken glass in his mom's smaller greenhouse. He zipped down to take a look and found a small branch that had evidently fallen onto it during the storm. Clark carried the branch off to the woodpile and quickly set about replacing the broken panes. The damage repaired, he started to leave when he remembered the lychee nut in his pocket. He doubted it would grow but planted it anyway in a vacant bed at the back and left.

It was three days later before he stood in the loft window, looking out over the Kent farm, once again. What a trip those days had been. For starters, Clark had gotten the job at the Talon but with everything that had happened he'd missed more hours than he'd worked so it was not surprising that he was no longer in Lana's employ. Lex had found his half-brother, been evicted from the mansion and basically disinherited, been kidnapped by his new-found sibling who threatened to kill him and who then tried to get Lionel to carry out that threat. In the end, it had turned out to be an elaborate double cross and clever ruse to expose Lionel's Machiavellian plans to pit Lex and his brother, Lucas, against one another. Clark had followed Lionel to Metropolis to save Lex, managing to avoid revealing himself outright but he was getting a very bad feeling about Lionel Luthor.

It wasn't just the files he had on Clark, which were bad enough and the fact that he had a stockpile of meteor rocks which was highly suspicious. Now, the revelation that Lionel had regained his sight had them all wondering exactly when that had happened and what, if anything, he'd actually seen when Clark burst into the LuthorCorp Building in Metropolis, a few weeks before. How _had_ Lionel managed to get hold of the gun and unerringly shoot Pyne? Clark was sure he'd be developing an ulcer over it had he been human. His poor dad probably had one already.

Clark stared out at the manure pile behind the barn. Lex really had pulled his own weight during his short stay at the farm; the size of that pile was proof. Even the incident with his mom's old horse hadn't deterred Lex from carrying out every chore his dad had assigned him, although he'd noticed Lex _had_ kept a respectful distance from the horse afterwards. Martha had a few choice words over that for her husband but Jonathan just shrugged them off. He'd actually been very pleased with Lex, making a point to tell him so before he left.

As he stood, ruminating over the past few days (including his short-lived career as a waiter) and thanking God for delivering him to Jonathan and Martha Kent instead of Lionel Luthor, something about the little greenhouse caught his eye. The panes of glass he'd replaced the other day were dark, as though something were growing against them. Clark went down to take a look.

As he entered the greenhouse, an unusual odor greeted him; a pungent sweetness unlike anything he'd ever smelled before. He walked down the main isle and turned, heading back toward the corner where he'd planted the lychee nut. To his surprise, it had not only taken root but it was taking over the corner with dense lush growth. Some of the vines were starting to spread into neighboring beds and Clark thought maybe he should trim them back. He grabbed a pair of shears and clipped several of the more invasive vines. They certainly looked healthy. Some of them had little white nubs that looked like flower buds. Clark took the cuttings with him as he got into the truck to make his morning delivery to the Talon. Maybe Lana would like to start some.

Sometime later, he returned and headed into the kitchen where his mom, bless her heart, was making something wonderful for breakfast.

"Whipped cream waffle, Clark?"

His face lit up at the prospect. Clark sat at the counter, spooning strawberries and whipped cream over his waffles as Martha brought two fresh cups of coffee over. She sat, drinking in silence. Clark looked up and moaned with his mouth full, finally managing to say, "Wonderful, Mom!"

Laughing, she got up to get another cup of coffee. "Is Lex firmly ensconced back in the mansion once again?"

"Yeah. He's hiding Lucas somewhere for the time being." Clark took another helping of waffles and when he was done, went over to the sink to wash dishes. "Hey, Mom, you should look in the little greenhouse. I planted a lychee nut there and it's growing like wildfire."

"A lychee nut? Where'd that come from?"

"Lex found it; there was broken glass in the conservatory after the storm the other day and it was under some orchids. I didn't really think it would grow but it sure did. Come on; I'll show you." He got up and started out the door but stopped abruptly. Martha nearly ran into him. "Rats! I forgot; I'm supposed to pick up Pete this morning. Sorry, Mom. I gotta go.

"That's okay, Clark; I have to go soon, anyway. You can show me later."

"Okay. See ya." Clark raced to the truck and took off.

It was afternoon before Clark returned. His mom was weeding in the flower bed out front when he got out of the truck. "Mom! Wanna see the lychee bush?" She stood and nodded, brushing the dirt from her knees and the two of them went out to the greenhouse. Clark pointed to the vines and Martha had to admit it was most impressive.

"This is…you just planted it four days ago? I can't believe it's grown out like this just since then. Look at this: these look like flower buds; see?" She bent down and examined the tiny bumps on the deep green stems. "It's growing outside the bed; you should trim it back." She stood and walked around the corner to look at something she had planted in a bed on the far side of the greenhouse.

"Actually…I trimmed it this morning before breakfast. I thought I'd gotten all of them…" Clark stepped over to the side of the bed, looking around for the pruning shears he thought he'd left there, earlier. His mom came back around the corner and stopped, staring at Clark.

Martha pointed at him, her mouth open and eyes wide. Clark looked down to find a vine had wrapped itself around his pantleg. It was still moving, making its way around his knee until he yelped and began shaking his leg. The vine immediately let go and withdrew to the edge of its bed, the tip of it swaying in the air for a moment like a marmot scanning for danger outside its burrow; then it sank down and lay still.

"Clark…I don't think that's a lychee nut."

Clark leaned down and looked at the tendril that had been around his leg. He held perfectly still for a moment and the plant slowly rose up in front of him, as though it was staring into his face. He reached out and gently touched it with one finger. At first it drew back then it came closer and touched his cheek. Softly, it brushed along his jaw then one of the little buds blossomed out into a delicate white flower. A few more bloomed along the tip and the whole vine swayed next to Clark.

The sweet scent he'd smelled earlier filled the greenhouse. Martha came closer and the vine pulled back. "It's okay," Clark said, softly. "Come on, she won't hurt you…" Martha leaned down and with Clark's encouragement the plant hesitantly touched her face, too. She looked over at Clark, smiling. The vine wrapped itself around her shoulders then quickly withdrew, finally settling back into the bed. "Wow…"

He stared down at it, amazed. Then, a look of horror crossed his face. "Oh, no! I gave Lana the starts I clipped earlier! She said she was gonna put them in the planter outside the Talon! I gotta go!" He streaked out of the greenhouse and was back in an instant. Leaning down again, he said, "Stay. I'll be back!" Then he was gone for good.

Martha noted he didn't take the truck. She sat next to Clark's newest, well, pet, she guessed. "So…where'd you come from?" The vine stretched out and fell over into her lap, a new row of flowers blooming along its tip. She touched the flower stalk and the sweet fragrance surrounded her. Martha looked around her, thinking how much she'd always wanted to enlarge the greenhouse. After awhile, she laid the vine gently on the ground and got up. Brushing off the dirt, she headed over to the barn to get some two- by-fours. The greenhouse was way too small and she intended to fix that little problem right then and there.

Clark made his way to the Talon in record time. Lana had been spring cleaning when he'd stopped by that morning to ask about the job opening and he hoped she'd still be preoccupied. If he was lucky, Lana wouldn't have gotten around to planting those cuttings and he'd just sneak in and take them back. He slowed down and walked up to the back door just as it flew open and Lana appeared carrying a huge bag full of trash. She stumbled on the top step and the bag flew out of her hand, landing squarely on Clark's head and bursting on impact, covering him with garbage.

Lana came rushing down the steps. "Clark! I'm so sorry! I tripped and-" she pulled a towel out of her hip pocket and started flipping it the top of his head. "You have crumbs in your hair!" Then she moved down to his shirt front and began frantically brushing him off. When she approached his belt buckle Clark took a hasty step backward.

"It's okay, Lana! I…"

"What are you doing back here? Clark…"

He hadn't thought up any lies since he'd planned on just stealing the plant starts back. "Lana…I…uh…"

"What?" A particularly large glob of coffee grounds had landed on the front of his jeans and Lana suddenly exclaimed, "Eeewww…what's that on your pants?" She advanced on him swinging her towel and Clark backed up until he stumbled over a rusting bucket and fell back against the wall so hard he thought he heard it crunch.

The back door swung open and Chloe appeared at the top of the steps, announcing, "Lana, your aunt's on the-" She stopped in mid sentence when she saw Lana advancing on Clark who was covered with garbage and cowering against the rear wall of the Talon, his hands hovering vaguely in front of his groin. She couldn't help grinning. "Okaaay…should I just leave you two alone?"

Clark made a quick end run around Lana and shot up the steps. He rushed past Chloe mumbling something about getting cleaned up.

Lana looked up at her, shrugging. "I dropped a garbage bag on him. I was just trying to clean him up."

Inside, Clark raced to the bathroom and tried to clean himself off. Wetting a paper towel, he tried to get the worst of the coffee grounds and accompanying stain off the front of his jeans. He was somewhat successful but now it looked like he'd wet his pants. Clark started to dry out his pants with a burst of heat vision when someone pounded on the door. Startled, he overheated the fabric, scorching his fly. A wisp of smoke rolled toward the door.

Chloe's voice came from the other side of the door. "Clark! Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Gimme a minute. I'm covered with coffee grounds."

"Is that what was all over your pants?"

"Yes!"

"Glad to hear it." She was giggling now. "It looked like-"

"Chloe, do you mind?" He started to use his heat vision again and steam began to billow off the front of his pants, carrying the smell of burnt coffee grounds and scorched denim with it.

"Hurry UP, Clark! There's a line forming out here."

Clark heard another voice say, "Hey, man; is that smoke? Is someone firing up a joint in there?" With a low growl, he gave up and buttoned his flannel shirt, hoping to look merely dorky rather than incontinent. He flung open the door and marched out past the line of people waiting, grabbing Chloe as he passed by and dragging her along behind him. As he walked through the Talon, he saw sprays of the little white flowers on every table. Their unique fragrance permeated the room.

"Geez, Clark! I'm coming!" He marched toward the front of the coffeeshop, hoping to sit near the window, Chloe hurrying to keep up with his long strides.

"Hi, Clark!"

Clark turned to see Lex sitting in his favorite spot, an amused expression on his face. Much like an anthropologist observing a primitive tribe, Lex liked to watch the natives of Smallville from a secluded corner of the Talon. Preoccupied with his problem, Clark hadn't noticed him when he passed by. Smiling, he waved and mumbled, "Hi, Lex," then turned, hoping he could get away without a protracted conversation.

Clark's disheveled condition was rather obvious. Lex set down the little vase of flowers he'd been holding and asked, "Everything okay?"

Sighing, Clark turned to face his friend again, wincing when he caught another whiff of something overly ripe clinging to him. "Just…a little accident out back…" He backed away, trying to escape and ran into to Chloe who'd stopped a few steps in front of him.

"Watch out, Clark!" He grabbed her to keep her from falling.

"Sorry."

"Clark…"

"Yeah, Lex?" Trying to quell his impatience, he turned back toward him.

Smirking and unable to resist, he leaned forward conspiratorially and asked, "Did you lose your cherry?" as he pointed down toward Clark's feet.

Clark's eyes narrowed. "What?" He really wasn't in the mood for Lex's often warped sense of humor.

"There's a cherry stuck to your shoe." A fat red cherry, surrounded by viscous globs of red goo, was stuck to the toe of Clark's huge boot. One pant leg was soaked in the same gelatinous substance which was now dripping onto the floor, expanding outward in an ever widening puddle. Red footprints tracked the floor behind him.

Grimacing, he reached down and snatched the offending fruit away. When he straightened up, Lex was trying hard to keep from bursting into laughter. Clark smiled tightly. "Thanks for the heads-up." He turned and headed up front, practically pushing Chloe along. As Clark slid into the booth he turned back and, more quickly than the eye could follow, flipped the cherry back toward Lex. He banked it off the ceiling above and the pulverized remains landed on the very crown of Lex Luthor's bald head.

Lex looked up when he felt something wet hit the crown of his head. Something wet and sticky splashed on his nose. He wiped it away with one finger and looked at it closely. It looked an awful lot like cherry jam. He ran his hand over the top of his head and it came away red and sticky. Suspicious, he zeroed in on Clark up near the front but he was leaning against the window, intent on whatever Chloe was saying, seemingly oblivious. Lex waved Lana over from a nearby table where she was furiously spraying and scrubbing at something.

"Hi, Lex! Want another latte?"

He pointed upward. "Something's dripping from the ceiling."

She looked up, puzzled. "There's something really sticky on that table; maybe that's where it came from." Another tiny drop hit Lex's head and she reached out with her towel to wipe it off. Her finger twitched on the trigger of the spray bottle she held in her other hand.

Alarmed, Lex threw up his hand. "That's okay, Lana. Just call someone about that, will you?"

"Oh. Sure. Um…yeah." Frowning, she stared up at the ceiling once more then went up front to call the maintenance service as Lex got up to leave.

Glancing toward the back, Clark saw Lex lean over and take another whiff of the white flowers before standing abruptly. In the instant when Lex was turned away Clark fired off a brief focused burst of heat vision at the ceiling of the Talon, incinerating the remnant of the cherry glob. He was getting really good at controlling it and hardly ever made mistakes anymore, the incident in the restroom earlier being an unfortunate exception. Chloe was saying something about an old book she'd found detailing the early days of the Smallville settlement and Henry Small's ancestor, Ezra, who'd been, by all accounts, a very odd fellow, often speaking in tongues and claiming to have had prophetic dreams and visions; Chloe seemed unusually interested in dreams, at the moment and he quickly returned his attention to her, only a slight smirk revealing his amusement at the prank he'd just pulled.

Lex turned around suddenly, sensing something had happened but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Well, he couldn't be bothered right now; there were some _very important matters_ back at the mansion needing his attention and Lana would just have to deal with whatever came up at the Talon. For an instant, Lex thought there was something…something he'd been thinking about Clark…but the thought fled and Lex grabbed his drink. Walking away from his table, he thought he smelled burnt cherries for an instant before the sweet smell of the tiny white flowers once again overpowered everything else.

Up front, Clark was leaning over on the window, trying to get a good look at the planter boxes near the Talon's front door. Lex passed by their table, so lost in thought he didn't even wave and strode purposefully out the front door, stopping only to lean over and examine the window box. For a moment, he had the awful thought Lex was going to take a start but after a moment Lex turned away and headed to his car. There was a lot of lush green foliage and he was certain it was the vine from the greenhouse; many of them were flowering already. He needed to get closer. Clark pressed his face against the glass and started to focus as hard as he could.

"Clark!"

He jumped, spilling his coffee and sending half of it into his lap. "What?" Clark grabbed a handful of napkins and tried to get the worst of it.

"Are you listening? What are you looking at?" Chloe glared at him then smirked. "Want Lana to help you with that?"

A couple of football players walked by, laughing, one of them saying loudly, "Hey, Lana, the bathroom smells like a wet dog rolled in garbage in there!"

Clark watched them go, momentary thoughts of retribution reflected in the faint glimmer of his eyes. Lana rushed past them, heading toward the back with an armload of towels, several spray bottles and a very determined look on her face. His ears picked up her muttered words; apparently she agreed with the football players' assessment. Clark lowered his head and sniffed; his nose wrinkled. _Eeewww_…

"Clark! What did I just say?"

His head snapped back up. "You're having dreams…?"

Chloe, taken aback that Clark had apparently been listening, after all, blurted out, "Yeah, I…I have been. I thought maybe it was some residual effect from the parasite or maybe I'm remembering something I did while it was controlling me."

Clark's eyes widened. _That_ was a disturbing thought. "You…you…" his voice climbed into a higher register, "think you remember what happened when you were infected?"

"Well…it's…" her eyes dropped and she gazed at Clark's chest for a moment, a look of intense concentration on her face, "all kinda vague…" Clark squirmed in his seat before her eyes returned to his face; an involuntary smirk crossing her own. "It's all sorta jumbled up. Maybe I'll remember more and it'll make sense." Chloe's eyes narrowed as she stroked her chin in thought, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks.

Clark smiled back at her nervously, praying that never happened. "Yeah, maybe."

"Don't you remember anything? Were we…in your barn? Did I fall or something because I keep dreaming about falling…and…this sounds crazy…flying in a car."

"Sounds like you've seen Harry Potter too many times," he chuckled. "Next you'll be dreaming about the Whomping Willow."

Chloe reached over the table and smacked him playfully. "I'll whomp you, Kent."

Lana came stomping by their table, dragging a garbage bag. She frowned and muttered, to no one in particular, "It's all gotta go. Smells like something got burned in the bathroom. I'm throwing everything out!" Lana stopped just a few feet beyond them and turned around in a circle, sniffing the air like a bloodhound.

Chloe stood and almost ran into Lana as she took a step back toward their table, still sniffing. "Sorry, Lana; um…could I get another Café Mocha Supreme with a double shot?"

"Oh, sure, Chloe; I'll be right there." Lana sniffed once more. "What _is_ that smell? Like something burned…" Her eyes settled on Clark but Chloe tapped her on the shoulder.

"Mocha, mocha, mocha." Chloe murmured, tugging lightly on her sleeve and Lana turned; they headed off to the counter, the garbage bag clanking on the floor as Lana dragged it behind her. Clark could see Chloe's shoulders shaking with laughter.

When the girls passed by Lex's former table, Lana stopped again and said, "Now it smells like _burned cherries!_" She glared at the tabletop and stopped to examine it. "I can't _believe_ it! Someone _wrote_ on the tabletop!" Lana tried to wipe it off without success and growled, "I'll have to use steel wool."

Actually, it was more drawing than writing; Clark had noticed Lex doodling on the table earlier; it sort of looked like floor plans. He frowned and turned back toward the window. It was now covered with thick green leaves and several large flower stalks were budding open against the glass right in front of him. Gasping out loud, he jumped up and bolted for the front door.

A few minutes later, Chloe and Lana returned and slid into the booth. She looked around for Clark and spotted him outside, digging in the dirt of the window boxes, apparently pulling up weeds. "Lana, don't worry; I'm sure it'll come off. What got you into this cleaning binge, anyway?" Chloe leaned over to smell the flowers in the vase at their table; she picked up the little white ones, inhaling their wonderful sweetness and after a moment, began threading them into her hair.

Lana stared into space for a few seconds before returning her attention to Chloe. "I don't know…I…was doing a little spring cleaning and after Clark stopped by this morning I just suddenly felt like making sure everything is _really_ clean. Nothing can be too clean for the customers; if it's not clean I'm throwing it out! Look what happened to the Beanery; I think I'll rent a steam cleaner and…no, I'll buy one so it's always on hand…" Lana peered around as though evaluating what else she could sterilize in the immediate area.

"Look; before you go all Howard Hughes on us, I think the Talon's pretty clean already." Chloe gazed out over the main room. "But have you given any thought to changing the layout down here?"

"Listen, I should get back to the storeroom; it's a mess and there are dust bunnies in there that could choke my horse and I still haven't polished the sink in the kitchen… Chloe, do you think I should have all the tables sandblasted just to make sure-"

"Lana!" Henry Small came through the front door and angled over to their table. "Hi, Chloe. I just stopped by to…" He was staring out the window at something. "I saw Clark out front, weeding your flower boxes; he's really going at it. I should ask him to work on mine; I never seem to have the time."

Lana smiled, "Oh, I just planted those starts-" she looked up at the window and saw it was filled with luxuriant green growth. "Wow…I found an old bucket of Root Rite and dipped the starts in that before I planted them…and they're really taking off…" She watched as Clark's dark head bobbed along, up and down the window while he worked on the planter. A spray of dirt hit the window beside his head and Lana rose. "I think Clark's getting carried away. Eeewww…look at all that dirt he's stirring up…maybe I should go out there and hose him down…" Lana's eyes glittered at the prospect, though whether it was the thought of cleaning Clark or just seeing him wet, it was hard to say. Fortunately for Clark, a group of ladies entered and headed to the counter. They had all been members of the Smallville High cheerleading squad once; contemporaries, in fact, of Lana's mother and frequent customers. She looked at Henry apologetically. "Sorry, I guess I should really get up front. Why don't you come up to the counter? It's really clean."

Henry stood to follow, taking one more look out the window. He could barely see through the thick vines covering the glass. As he walked away with Lana, he whispered, "I think the weeds are winning."

Outside, Clark was frantically pulling at the vegetation in the window boxes, moving as quickly as he could in such a public place with people walking by every few minutes. Distressingly, he'd discovered that touching the roots themselves made his skin burn, bringing on the all too familiar symptoms of acute meteor rock poisoning so he tried to grasp only the upper stalks instead which wasn't quite as bad. The plants were now growing at such a prodigious rate Clark had given up trying to pick out only the plants he'd come for and was ripping out everything in the planters, figuring he could explain it somehow later; right now he just wanted to make sure he got every last start.

Clark had started in on the largest planter, throwing all the stalks down onto the sidewalk at the far end of the box. Swaying slightly as he tried to calm his rebellious stomach, he lurched over to the smaller planter on the other side of the door where there seemed to be fewer of the "lycheenots," as he'd come to think of them. He had found they were very firmly rooted and each one had to be quickly separated from the soil or it would immediately start extending fine little rootlets back into the dirt as soon as it was loosened, if given the chance. It reminded Clark of a naughty child dragging his feet when he didn't want to be taken up to bed. Not that he would know…

Pete Ross came to a screeching halt just down the block from the alley that led to the Talon's back door. When he'd stopped by to see Clark, Martha had asked him to head in town to see if he could help. Pete had jumped into his car, taking off without really knowing what awaited him. He got out and walked quietly up the alley behind the building. The dumpster near the rear entrance was overflowing with garbage bags; closer to the door, a bag had evidently burst open, spilling garbage everywhere at the bottom of the stairs. He put one foot on the lower step, never noticing the banana peel laying there. Then he was airborne and for a brief second just before he landed he saw that the back wall of the Talon was covered in thick green vines and white flowers and a strange sweet scent washed over him as everything went black.

Out front, Clark breathed a sigh of relief as he finished; by now he felt lightheaded and weak even though he'd had only limited contact with the part of the plants that was most contaminated. Now, if he could collect the vines and put them in…there…the litter can next to the alley… He whirled around, thinking he saw something move out of the corner of his eye but saw nothing. Warily, he turned back and reached down for the pile of vegetation he'd pulled only to discover it was gone. A high pitched noise, imperceptible to anyone else, made him turn and he saw that the pile under the far window had not only grown but to his horror, it seemed to be _moving_. As he took a step toward it, the vines rose up and skittered away around the far corner of the building, their now sizable roots moving like little legs. _Oh, God!_

Clark was at the corner in an instant when the vines suddenly reappeared, swaying snakelike, in front of his face. He backed up as the plant tendrils advanced toward him, reaching out to touch his face. More and more of them appeared, wrapping around each other until they formed one thick vine. Then the vine sank down to the ground at his feet and lay still. Clark tensed, ready to snatch it up.

Pete Ross groaned, gingerly feeling the huge bump on the back of his head. "Ouch…" he moaned as he staggered up the steps with one overriding thought in his mind: _Clark__'s in trouble_. He managed to open the back door, stumbling as he entered the rear of the building. Pete leaned heavily against the door frame as he peeked out into the main room, searching for Clark.

At the counter, Henry Small was shouting into the phone, throwing papers and folders around like a madman. In a nearby corner, the newest waitress, Stacy, had a member of the wrestling team backed up against the wall, yelling, "What do you _mean_ you don't like muffins? I baked those muffins myself! Nothing but natural ingredients; they don't _get_ any more organic than this! Emeril would kill for those muffins and you'll eat 'em or I'll-" Pete suddenly felt woozy again and lost his balance, falling through the door and landing at Stacy's feet. She let go of the wrestler and knelt next to Pete, gently feeling the knot on the back of his head. "Aw…that's gotta hurt. Have a muffin!" She practically smashed a muffin into Pete's mouth and the wrestler, seeing his opportunity, made a break for the door.

The oven timer sounded from the kitchen and Stacy jumped up, squealing excitedly, "The scones are done! Wheat germ-pine nut-carob-falafel scones. You'll love 'em! Healthiest food on the planet! Gotta go!" She raced through the door behind him and Pete rose up, steadying himself on the counter. He lurched up the isle toward the front door, spitting out pieces of the nastiest muffin he's ever tasted as he went. _Food poisoning; I'm gonna get food poisoning._ Behind him, Stacy burst through the door, yelling, "Try a garlic-carrot-peanut butter smoothie!" She ran to the blender and turned it on high speed to mix her horrible concoction and Pete swallowed hard, trying to keep his stomach from betraying him. On he went, determined to help Clark, even if he died trying. Even if the muffin killed him.

Over in another corner, Lana was shouting out orders to a group of women who were…_forming a pyramid as if they were a squad of cheerleaders doing a half-time routine._ Pete had to blink to make sure he was really seeing it. _Something bizarre was definitely going on here_…he leaned heavily on a table as he got close to the front window, knocking over a vase of flowers; for a moment he thought he might pass out. A sweet fragrance enveloped him and he stood up, suddenly feeling much better. When Pete looked up he could see Clark's head through the front window.

Clark turned, looking in at Pete, opening his mouth as if to say something but before he could speak, his eyes widened and Clark abruptly dropped from view. Pete stumbled and half fell into a nearby booth, hitting his head again. The sounds of the blender and the cheerleaders faded and Pete was out again.

As soon as the thick vine touched him, Clark's nausea became almost overwhelming. The veins in his hands turned green, bulging and twisting as the meteor sickness overcame him and he could feel the effects spreading throughout his body. The plant had wrapped itself around Clark's leg, coiling upward until it was firmly gripping his thigh; it began to drag him off around the corner into the side alley. Flowers were blossoming out all around him and as he disappeared around the corner, he saw that the delicate flowers surrounding him were now a brilliant glowing green.

Chloe, who'd been sitting and drinking her latte while she waited for Clark to return, wanted something to eat; in fact, she'd been unusually hungry ever since she'd arrived. She had been hoping to get a fresh baked brioche but Stacy was on some crazy health food kick and Chloe wanted no part of it. Instead, she'd come up with a new floor plan for the Torch office. For some reason, though she wasn't quite sure why, she'd suddenly had the urge to rearrange. She wanted to move the file cabinets as well as the furniture while she was at it she should really sort through a lot of the older files… Maybe she'd even change the darkroom layout…she'd need Clark's help for that; might as well put all that farmboy muscle to good use. It was always fun to watch Clark work, anyway; _especially when he wore those tight white t-shirts_. She giggled to herself; Chloe hadn't felt this invigorated in years. She looked out the window but Clark was nowhere in sight. Chloe got up and headed outside to find him; it was time to enlist his aid in her project. She nearly ran into Lex Luthor who was just coming back inside as she ran out the front door.

Chloe caught sight of herself in the plate glass window outside as she ran toward the side alley, stopping to stare at her reflection and the tiny white flowers adorning her hair. The wind had whipped up, the sky looking more foreboding at the approach of the coming storm and some of the little flowers came loose, blowing away down the street. She staggered suddenly, feeling a bit dizzy and leaned against the wall of the Talon to steady herself. _Why did I put these flowers in my hair?_ She pulled one out and examined it more closely, then threw it down and scrubbed her hand through her hair, dislodging the rest of the tiny buds. After a moment, her head cleared and she thought she heard someone yelling from the alley. It sounded like Clark.

Chloe ran around the corner, skidding to a halt when she saw Clark lying on the ground a few feet away. He was covered with leaves and vines and they seemed to be moving, wrapping him up as she watched.

"Watch out, Chloe," he gasped, "They're…alive…they can move, walk…" he was having a hard time staying coherent. "Don't get too close or they could-"

"Oh, God, Clark! What are they doing to you?" Chloe came closer in spite of his warning. Beside a rusted trashcan she spotted a broken shovel; snatching it up, she ran to Clark's aid.

"No, Chlo! Don't-"

But she came anyway and started hacking at the plants, trying to make them let go. "Clark…" she took a swing with the blade, "your skin looks…green and…" another hack, "what's happening to your…veins?"

"It's…I think the plant got into some meteor rocks and mutated somehow; it's trying to… Look out!"

Chloe whirled around, whacking at a thick green tendril that had slithered up behind her and slicing the end completely off. The quivering vine made a noise of sorts, almost like a scream before withdrawing back down the alley. "Get away from him!" Frantically, she reached across him to saw at the leaves around his neck.

Another vine scuttled along in the shadows of the building on the other side of the alley, abruptly darting out to grab Clark's ankle. It wound itself around his leg until it reached his upper thigh then the tip of the vine began to inch its way across his groin, sprouting a thick mass of new growth as it went, the leaves grasping him ever more tightly as they continued to spread.

Chloe slipped one hand underneath and yanked hard, trying to make it loosen its hold on Clark's nether regions, making Clark squirm even in his weakened state. She growled, "Let go!" as she grasped the end of the vine with the other hand and jerked backward. It was a lot like arm wrestling with a rubber tree.

The harder she pulled, the more the plant seemed to be tightening its hold. Clark gasped out loud at the increased pressure, his eyes bugging out as Chloe rooted around beneath the mass of vegetation, grabbing and yanking. Clark gasped and grabbed her arm. "Chloe! Try to cut it!" She began hacking away at the vine where it held fast to the critical juncture of Clark's leg and groin. His jeans were getting badly slashed, as were his boxers but the vine was still growing faster than she could cut it off.

When Lex Luthor had left the Talon earlier, he'd been totally energized by the time he reached his car. He'd jumped into his Lamborghini and raced off at high speed, even for him. Lex had so many things he intended to accomplish; he couldn't get home fast enough. First he'd knock off those dull reports he'd been avoiding then he'd work on strategies for Cadmus Labs; Cadmus had to start pulling its own weight and he'd just been struck with an idea that would allow that to happen. And while he was at it, he'd been toying with the idea of a room addition and he'd come to a decision: ninety-five rooms in the main house just wasn't enough. He needed _more_. More rooms, more land; he'd have to buy the adjacent property and petition Lowell County to acquire Beresford Lane so he could expand into the current right of way but that should be no problem…

Only one thing stood in the way of his plans: he'd forgotten his briefcase and he'd had to go back to the Talon to retrieve it. By the time he'd returned, his enthusiasm had largely diminished and he was already wondering why he'd thought ninety-five rooms weren't enough for his needs... Lex had walked up to the front door, surprised to see the window boxes had been stripped clean in the short time he'd been gone; every plant had been ripped out although only a small pile of debris lay on the sidewalk nearby. He went inside and sat down, shaking his head to clear it. Lex felt strange and quivery, sensations he remembered well from the wild old days in Metropolis. It reminded him of the long slide down after an amphetamine high but that seemed like a lifetime ago and those days were long gone… So, why did he feel that way? His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton wadding; he was having trouble thinking straight.

Briefcase…he had come for his briefcase. He couldn't even remember where he'd been sitting…ah, over there- where a group of middle aged women were forming a pyramid, allowing one of them, who held a spray bottle in one hand, to reach the ceiling. Lana was standing beside them barking out directions and the women were chanting a favorite Smallville Crows cheer. They had all woven the little white flowers into their hair…

A loud voice called Lex's attention toward the front counter where Lana's newfound father, Henry Small, was yelling into the phone, "I have to reach the Chief Justice right away! There's no time to waste! Every minute counts!" He grabbed up a sheaf of papers and sent a plate full of muffins and scones flying across the room. A couple of guys who belonged to the baseball team caught them with ease and began a juggling routine that several patrons nearby found quite entertaining. Mr. Winters, an elderly man who's been moving rather slow, of late, was attempting to break dance in front of the display case. _What is going on?_

Lex Luthor staggered out of the front door, still feeling lightheaded and strange. The cool breeze helped to clear his head. What was going on in there? He stood back against the wall, trying to catch his breath when he heard noise coming from the side alley. Clark's voice was saying, "Harder Chloe, harder; right there!" and he peeked around the corner trying not to be seen. Clark was stretched out in the alley and Chloe Sullivan was hunched over him, doing something… Surprised, Lex turned to go, thinking he should leave them to-whatever- when he stumbled on the broken curb.

Turning at the noise, Chloe yelled, "Lex! Help!"

Lex rushed forward, his eyebrows climbing as he came closer. "Uh…Chloe…what are you-"

"The vines grabbed Clark! Help me get him loose! Hurry!" She reached even further under the vine and Clark's eyes widened.

"Chloe! That's not a vi-mmmph-" the vines covered his mouth, closing his lips; Clark began to struggle with renewed vigor.

Lex dropped to his knees when he reached her side. The vines were now growing up his abdomen, inching their way under his t-shirt and some of them were trying to cover his face. Lex pulled at the leaves which covered Clarks lower face like a beard, freeing him to speak then tried to grab at the stem on his stomach which was burrowing into his belly button. Clark wiggled as he pulled it out. Lex shoved his hand under the vines next to Chloe's and started to pull along with her.

"Ulp! Can't you-" Clark stopped, breathless, "just cut it off!" Together, Lex and Chloe were jerking Clark's body up off the ground but the vines held fast.

Chloe tried to pull away and discovered she couldn't. "Lex! It's wrapped around my wrist!" She flexed her fingers then tried twisting her fisted hand under the vines making Clark yelp again.

Lex managed to free one hand and grabbed the shovel blade. He made a deep slash in the main stem and the plant made another horrible noise and loosened its grip at last. Two more heavy blows severed it completely and it jerked away, slithering back into the shadows. Lex sawed at the vines still wrapped around Clark's neck and face then turned his attention to those that held Chloe's wrists captive. Clark lay still and breathed a sigh of relief, watching for any sign of the vine's return as he waited for his strength to return.

"Are you alright, Clark?" Chloe asked breathlessly.

"Yeah…uh, Chloe…you can move your hands now."

"Oh…sorry…" Pulling away, she sat back on her heels, holding out her hands as Lex sawed through the remaining vines that held her wrists together. "What was that thing, Clark?"

"Whatever was in the planter out front came alive-"

"Lana said she used something called Root Rite when she planted them…"

Clark groaned. "_Melville's_ Root Rite. Melvilles' Nursery used to package their own special root hormone and it was probably _filled_ with meteor rocks!"

"Wow! A little of Melvilles' magic meteor powder and presto! Frankenvine! Was that what turned your skin green where it touched you? Are you sure you're okay?" She shook her head and sat down, stretching her legs out in front of her. "I don't feel so good; f-feel weird. Woozy…"

"Me, too…" Lex sat back, too, panting. When I was inside the Talon…" he stopped, remembering the women forming a pyramid and Lana egging them on.

"I remember really wanting to do something…rearrange the Torch office; that's why I came looking for Clark. What's going on?"

"I was going to build onto the mansion; couldn't wait to get started but I left my briefcase behind and by the time I came back I couldn't remember why. I felt…like I'd been drugged. There was an odd sweet smell; Lana had put little flowers on all the tables…"

"Lex, those flowers were from the vines; their scent is making everybody manic and obsessive."

"Lana's cleaning frenzy!"

"Uh…yeah. Look, we have to get rid of the flowers." Clark stood and offered Chloe a hand, pulling her to her feet. "You two go in the front door and I'll go in the back."

"But those things might be back there!"

Clark picked up the shovel blade. "I won't get too close this time and I promise I'll be careful. Go on…it'll only take a minute." He waited as Lex and Chloe ran back to the front of the building; she gave him one last concerned look before disappearing around the corner. Clark turned and walked toward the rear of the Talon, x-raying the area until he spotted the vine that had attacked him hiding under a dumpster. It was coiled like a snake around a two gallon jug of a green glittery powder labeled "Melville's Root Rite. The vine's tip had disappeared inside the jug and Clark could see it growing even as he watched. _It's feeding_.

Training his heat vision on the container, he heated it until the plant backed out then and tried to flee then fired a withering burst directly at it. It screamed as it shriveled into ashes. Then he heated the dumpster wheels until it collapsed onto the Root Rite, effectively shielding him from it. When he turned, he saw the vines had grown over the back wall of the Talon; some of them were attempting to get inside the rear door. Clark moved closer, past the remains of his attacker and began to methodically torch the remaining vegetation, starting with the leaves at the back door. With one last shriek, they shriveled and died.

The impending storm finally broke and rain began to fall, quenching the smoldering remains of the predatory vines that clung to the brick walls. Clark raced up the steps and into the kitchen where Stacy was gulping down something that looked like a milkshake gone horribly wrong. Up close it not only looked awful but smelled like a backed up drain. She turned and offered him a sip but Clark quickly ducked out of the way and ran out to the counter. There he was astounded to see a group of women forming a pyramid in an apparent attempt to reach the high ceiling. Lana was shouting out instructions like a drill sergeant, directing them to wipe off a red stain high overhead. Clark winced when he realized it was the cherry stain left over from his little practical joke.

Lana stamped her foot and yelled, "Harder! Rub harder! I can still see some over there!"

Stepping forward, he tapped Lana's shoulder. "Lana…what are you doing?"

With hardly a glance she spit out, "Not now, Clark. There's dirt everywhere! I'm surprised the Board of Health hasn't shut us down! I'll have to gut the place and start over from scratch-"

"Lana! The Talon's not dirty! You're-"

"What? Are you blind, Clark? Look at that _spot!_"

The lady at the pyramid's top picked that moment to wobble and she fell like a stone. Clark caught her, setting her quickly aside as others began to fall from the top of the formation. He raced back and forth, catching one after another until they were all safely sitting or lying down, removing the flowers from their hair while he was at it. Then he zipped to the front door, quickly moving the tables and other furniture that had been blocking it, piled there by the erstwhile cheerleading squad when they cleared a space for their maneuvers. Chloe and Lex were trying to push their way inside when he finally got to the door. Everyone seemed to recover once the flowers were removed and they got a little fresh air. The three of them made Lana sit at a nearby table until she, too was shaking her head in confusion. Now he had to find Pete.

Surveying the area, Clark spotted Pete passed out in a booth up front. He'd slid down underneath it and was stretched out on the floor, his head resting on a briefcase, only his shoes visible on the bench above. Except for a lump on the back of his head, Pete was okay, too. Clark propped him upright on the seat and brought out an ice pack. When everyone seemed to be recovering nicely, Clark excused himself, dropping Pete off at his house before making his own way home.

Fortunately, everyone who'd been at the Talon had been just muddled enough not to have noticed Clark's unavoidable use of his abilities in saving the cheerleaders from serious injury when they finally came to their senses. Even Henry Small had been too preoccupied with his phone call to the Chief Justice to follow what was going on up front. He'd still been screaming into the phone about tort reform and class action suits when Clark took the phone away and removed the little vase of white flowers from the counter next to him. Clark would be very glad when he got back home to the relative peace and quiet of the bucolic Kent farm so he could put this day behind him.

The Kent farm, however, was anything but quiet when he returned. His mom and dad were both outside next to the little greenhouse, frantically sawing and hammering away as they attempted to build on an addition. And an attempt was all it really was when Clark got a good look at it. His dad, normally the most exacting of carpenters, had built a bewildering and haphazard maze of 2x4's and panels of plywood, no two walls of which were square or true. His mom, normally quite able to assist in such projects, was painting the unfinished walls a variety of colors and both of them were singing at the top of their lungs. Closer examination revealed little white flowers in his mother's hair and a boutonniere of the same stuffed in his father's front pocket. _Oh, boy_.

Quickly, Clark snatched the flowers away, incinerating them before his parents realized what had happened. He dragged them both back and steadied them when they wobbled.

"Son…whoa…what happened?"

"Clark…we could use your help…we have to finish…we're…we'll corner the market in…in…" his mom trailed off, the exact knowledge of what it was they were going to corner the market in suddenly eluding her. His parents took a good long and more sober look at their construction efforts then at each other. "What are we doing, Jonathan?"

"Mom…I think you inhaled," Clark said, one eyebrow sharply arched. "Those flowers have a…well, they're kind of intoxicating. They make people hyper and obsessive, I guess, would be the best way to describe it. Apparently, you guys thought you had to build on to the greenhouse." His parents looked at him then at the new construction and moaned. "It's okay, guys. Go inside and I'll see what I can do."

A little while later, Clark finished his refurbishment of the greenhouse addition. He'd had to tear it down and start from scratch; there had really been no way to save the ill measured and poorly constructed mess his parents had made in their zeal and haste. But his mom had wanted an addition for some time, anyway and now she had one. It wasn't quite on the grand scale as the other but it was sound and functional and it would allow her to experiment further with winter crops. And in one corner of the original greenhouse there was a special little terrarium built solely for the unusual little plant that had started the whole mess.

Clark had made sure it was in its own closed environment and cautioned his parents not to enter its enclosure. He thought if he could be careful and monitor it closely, he could keep it from growing too fast and above all, keep it from getting near any meteor fragments. It had seemed more like a pet than a plant and Clark just hadn't had the heart to completely eradicate it. Apparently, Clark was unaffected by its perfume and so as long as no one else came near it, all would be well. The vine was extremely phototrophic, leaning up against the glass and following the sun's path across the sky each day, only changing its routine when Clark came near and it would turn toward him. Sometimes he'd go inside and sit next to it, petting it like a dog as it leaned on him.

Someday, he wanted to have a place where he could keep anything unusual like the lycheenot; someplace remote where such things wouldn't endanger anyone and he could study or experiment without fear of dire consequences. Clark had always found comfort in the fortress of wood built for him by his adoptive father; it was a place to which he could escape when his life became too weird and he needed a little peace and quiet. He envisioned another place of solitude where the last survivor of a long dead alien race might find solace as he worked to help the human race that had taken him in. And like his barn loft, he would make this new fortress his own unique retreat. For now though that was still a distant dream and the quaint and rustic loft in his Kansas barn remained his sanctuary.

_But someday…someday…_


End file.
